Check out The Spinto Band’s rad take on the Ary Barroso classic — filmed by myself and D. Dunn. Wish it was summer goddammit! Catch another clip from the band’s session on the Art in the Age blog.
Here’s another sick remix from NJ native and my favorite artist of 2009, Memory Tapes. This time Gucci gets the dizzying electronic treatment for the new Diplo “Free Gucci” Mixtape:
{MP3} Gucci Mane – “Excuse Me” (Memory Tapes Remix)
Get the full tape HERE.
When I last posted about Mike Johnson aka Philly’s Ape School it was for the wildly ambitious and brilliantly animated “Wail to God” video. Now he is offering up the EP Ape School Remixes featuring re-workings from his debut album. Two cuts, Andrew Broder’s sedated and Beatles-esque version of “That’s OK” and Yppah’s texture-laden ”My Intention” redo, are particularly nice.
{MP3} Ape School – “Thats Ok” (Andrew Broder Remix)
{MP3} Ape School – “My Intention” (Yppah Remix)
Here are some awesome new Christmas tunes, one is a collaboration between Crocodiles and Dum Dum Girls and the other is from Philly’s Blood Feathers. Both make great additions to your Christmas ‘09 playlists…
{MP3} Crocodiles And Dum Dum Girls – “Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don’t Die)”
{MP3} Blood Feathers – “Christmas Will Help You Feel OK”
Head over to Stereogum for more Christmas tunes from Can, Lindstrom, Parenthetical Girls and more.
It was a great year for music, in my opinion. Here’s a list of albums and songs that I loved this year. If you haven’t previously heard something on the list, take a chance and give it a listen. And please, let me know some of your own favorites in the comments!
***********Favorite Albums***********
Memory Tapes – Seek Magic {MP3 Download: “Plain Material”} {Buy It}
The most fully realized and beautiful electronic album of the year. Former Hail Social-er Dayve Hawk combines his previous projects Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes into one interstellar, electro funk classic.
The xx – The xx {MP3 Download: “Basic Space”} {Buy It}
I once heard this album described as Young Marble Giants crossed with Sade, but there is something more unique about it. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s unlike most music in today’s current indie climate. Or perhaps it’s because it’s genuinely fragile and honest – qualities that are sometimes lacking in said climate.
Sun Airway – Oh, Naoko EP {Free EP Download}
This self-released EP from Philly duo Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marsceill is a romantic and extremely detailed mini-masterpiece of electronic beauty. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more about these guys in the near future…
Micachu and the Shapes – Jewellery {MP3 Download: “Just In Case” } {Buy It}
A debut album like this should not be overlooked. Micachu is a brilliant new talent who has, for my money, made the most adventurous pop album of the year.
The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love {MP3 Download: “Dominoes” } {Buy It}
The Big Pink’s debut contains one pulverizing anthem after another. It’s a mix of brooding industrial tones and aggressive guitars set against somber, yet soaring vocals. They recently killed it at Johnny Brenda’s during their first US tour. This band could get huge.
Various Artists – Not Given Lightly: A Tribute To the Giant Golden Book Of New Zealand`s Alternative Music Scene {Video: It’s a Musical – “All My Hallowness To You” (Tall Dwarfs Cover)} {Buy It}
Thomas Morr, owner of Morr Music likes to invite his label’s artists to create tribute albums for the music he loved growing up. While previous comps payed tribute to one band (Morrissey, Slowdive), this one pays tribute to an entire scene. New Zealand’s ’80s DIY scene (Flying Nun Records…) set the stage for what we now know as “indie-rock” in the classic sense. Here, the music of groundbreaking artists like The Bats, The Chills and Chris Knox is re-imagined with an electronic edge by established and new bands on Morr’s label. The second half of the comp features new material from those new bands.
Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy {MP3 Download: “Overnite Religion”} {Buy It}
Our own hometown Lou Reed. All aboard “The Freak Train”!
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix {Video: “1901″} {Buy It}
In what sounds like the culmination of 8 excellent music making years, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a bold and electrifying release that only becomes more enjoyable upon repeated listens.
Stegosaurus Trap – Miniature Maze {MP3 Download: “Broken Castles”}
This one came out of nowhere and blew my mind. It’s a purely DIY statement of beautiful psych-folk music. The album was being offered for free through his MySpace page, but the link seems to be down. Message him directly on there and ask for it.
Taken By Trees – East of Eden {MP3 Download: “Watch the Waves”} {Buy It}
Lovely, Eastern tinged-pop from the former singer of The Concretes. It also features a brilliant cover of Animal Collective’s “My Girls”, re-titled “My Boys”.
Nurses – Apple’s Acre {MP3 Download: “Caterpillar Playground”} {Buy It}
Often thrown into the freak-folk category, Nurses’ sample-heavy, back-woods psychedelia transcends the genre with a warm and warped grin.
Julian Casablancas – Phrazes For the Young {Stream: “11th Dimension”} {Buy It}
Simply put, this should’ve been the second record from The Strokes.
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post-Pavillion {Video: “Summertime Clothes”} {Buy It}
The enigmatic Baltimore crew steps up their game for their most accessible and realized album to date.
Fontän – Winterhwila {MP3 Download: “Early Morning”} {Buy It}
A mix of Swedish pop, English prog and imaginary film soundtracks from a couple of brilliant musicians on the same label as Studio. Mesmerizing and painfully overlooked.
Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport {Video: “Surf Solar”} {Buy It}
If Brian Eno’s music has evolved into noisy trance, this would be the result. What’s more awesome is this interview they did with Joe from Breakfast at Sulimay’s!
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns {Video: “Daniel”} {Buy It}
What beats Natasha Khans angelic and mystical voice when it’s met with sweeping electronic arrangements? Yep, you guessed it. Nada!
Metric – Fantasies {MP3 Download: “Satellite Mind”} {Buy It}
Oh really, Metric? Are you really going to come back after a 4 year hiatus and blow my mind with a kick-ass stadium rock record? Yes? Well, good because I’m loving it.
Favorite songs after the jump…
Two great things that go great together: Saturday Night Fever and Philly’s own beloved Action News theme song. Have a great weekend!
(via Philebrity)
Sun Airway’s “Oh, Naoko” definitely gets my vote for one of the best songs of the year. Check out this awesome acoustic version Jon did at Art in the Age.
See the rest, including a new tune, on Art in the Age’s blog.
Philly’s Flufftronix takes the minimal and sultry sound of “Infinity” by this year’s best new band The xx and speeds it with an injection of industrial synths. Dubby, electro goodness.
Check out this rad post-punk tune recorded in Philly by 12 year old (at the time) Chandra and The Model Citizens (who later became The Dance).
{MP3} Chandra – “Kate”
Here’s how her MySpace page describes it: “It all started with Chandra Oppenheim. At the early age of 10 she started writing her own songs. Dennis Oppenheim, father and artist, encouraged her to record these songs with infamous New York noise makers The Model Citizens (who later became The Dance). In 1980 Chandra, now 12, went into a Philadelphia studio to record her disco infused post-punk manifesto. The world from her eyes with music crafted from the borders of every genre. An unparalleled listening experience.”
Check out this wild new video animated by the ultra-talented Anthony Schepperd for Ape School, aka Philly songwriter and producer Michael Johnson (Holopaw, the Lilys, Kurt Vile). It’s like The Wall, only grittier and with a lot more boobs.
Check out the new video for “Freak Train”, one of my favorite songs on the excellent new Kurt Vile album Childish Prodigy. It’s a down and dirty mix of live footage and Kurt doing his thing surrounded by amps in gravel lot under the Girard/Lehigh exit of I-95. Grab some free mp3s from the album after the jump.
Blood Feathers have been making a name for themselves in Philly for some years now with their thoughtful Muswell Hillbillies-style of rock (sans the silliness). You’ll instantly feel at home with “Dont Know You At All”, the first single from their forthcoming album Goodness Gracious. Nod your head to this:
{MP3} Blood Feathers – “Dont Know You At All”
Grab some more free songs by entering your email address here. The album will be released in November courtesy of the newly christened, Philly-based label, Philebrity Label.
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